Nat’l Hispanic Media Coalition Targets Oscar

[pr] ACADEMY AWARDS TO BE TARGETED BY NATIONAL HISPANIC MEDIA COALITION ACTION NETWORK

Feb. 5 and March 3 demonstrations launch nationwide campaign

protesting “institutionalized racism” against Latinos by major movie studios

PASADENA, CALIF., Jan. 23, 2018 – The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) Action Network today announced it will hold two demonstrations targeting the 2018 Academy Awards® that will launch a national campaign protesting the chronic underrepresentation of Latinos in on-screen and behind-the-camera roles in motion pictures.

During a news conference held at its Pasadena, Calif. headquarters, the organization disclosed that:

Its first demonstration will be held on Monday, February 5, at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ honorees luncheon, which will be held at a time and location to be announced.

A second demonstration is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, also at a time and location to be announced.

“Institutionalized Racism”

“Hollywood continues to be challenged by gender and ethnic diversity,” said Alex Nogales, NHMC president and chief executive officer. “Our upcoming demonstrations are only the first of what will become increasingly aggressive wake-up calls to Hollywood studios to end institutionalized racism against Latinos. By targeting the Academy Awards, we’re serving notice to the motion picture industry that we’re not asking for equity anymore. We’re demanding it.”

“For years the success of the major film studios has been won on the backs of U.S. Latinos who represent 23 percent of all movie ticket buyers and 18 percent of the U.S. population,” said Nogales. “Yet, on- and off-screen and in the narratives Hollywood’s movies tell, Latinos remain the most underrepresented minority in the industry. Enough is enough. It’s time to end the whitewashing and put Latinos in front of and behind the camera.”

According to studies conducted by the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, from 2007 to 2016:

Only 3.1% Hispanics appeared in films from 2007 – 2016;

From 2007 – 2016, 900 films were produced. Hispanics directed only one of those films; and

Of the top 100 films in 2016, 72 had no Latinas.

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who participated in the news conference, said, “Demographics show that Latinos make up 56 million plus in the country, yet films in this country fail to represent the true composition of the U.S.,”

said former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. “And then when you do have Latina roles their character tends to be overly sexualized.”

the media watchdog for the Latino community, ensuring that we are fairly and consistently represented in news and entertainment and that our voices are heard over the airwaves and on the internet.

We exist to challenge executives and influencers throughout the entertainment and news industry to eliminate barriers for Latinos to express themselves and be heard through every type of medium. NHMC works to bring decision-makers to the table to open new opportunities for Latinos to create, contribute and consume programming that is inclusive, free from bias and hate rhetoric, affordable and culturally relevant.

“Don’t work with assholes. Ever. No matter what they’re offering, no matter what they bring to the table. If they’re the sort of person where the phone rings at 10 o’clock at night and you wince because you see that it’s them, then don’t do business with them. One asshole will ruin your life. I’ve managed my entire TV and filmmaking career to work with people I like and respect. If the point comes where I don’t like or respect someone, I don’t work with them anymore.”

– Anthony Bourdain

The Atlantic: You saw that the Academy Awards recently held up your 2001 acceptance speech as the Platonic ideal of an Oscar speech. Did you have a reaction?

Soderbergh: Shock and dismay. When that popped up and people started texting me about it, I said, “Oh, it’s too bad I’m not there to tell the story of how that took place.” Well. I was not sober at the time. And I had nothing prepared because I knew I wasn’t going to win [Best Director for Traffic]. I figured Ridley, Ang or Daldry would win. So I was hitting the bar pretty hard, having a great night, feeling super-relaxed because I don’t have to get up there. So the combination of a 0.4 blood alcohol level and lack of preparation resulted in me, in my state of drunkenness crossed with adrenaline surge. I was coherent enough to know that [if I tried to thank everyone], that way lies destruction. So I went the other way. There were some people who appreciated that, and there were some people who really wanted to hear their names said, and I had to apologize to them.
~ Steven Soderbergh